Baseline serum levels of cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen predict abatacept treatment response in methotrexate-naive, anticitrullinated protein antibody-positive patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To investigate correlations between biomarkers of bone remodelling and extracellular matrix turnover with baseline disease activity and treatment response in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: ssessing ery arly heumatoid arthritis reatment-2 (AVERT-2; NCT02504268) included disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naive, anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-positive patients randomised to weekly subcutaneous abatacept+methotrexate (MTX) or abatacept placebo+MTX for 56 weeks. This post hoc exploratory subanalysis assessed the association between baseline disease activity and eight biomarkers (Spearman's correlation coefficient), and whether baseline biomarkers (continuous or categorical variables) could predict treatment response at weeks 24 and 52 (logistic regression).

Efficacy and safety of tabalumab, an anti-BAFF monoclonal antibody, in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response to TNF inhibitors: results of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study.

Background: Tabalumab is a human monoclonal antibody that neutralises B-cell activating factor.

Objectives: To evaluate tabalumab efficacy and safety in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated 456 patients with active RA after 24-week treatment with subcutaneous tabalumab (120 mg every 4 weeks (120/Q4W) or 90 mg every 2 weeks (90/Q2W)) versus placebo, with loading doses (240 or 180 mg) at week 0.

MOR103, a human monoclonal antibody to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, in the treatment of patients with moderate rheumatoid arthritis: results of a phase Ib/IIa randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation trial.

Objectives: To determine the safety, tolerability and signs of efficacy of MOR103, a human monoclonal antibody to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients with active, moderate RA were enrolled in a randomised, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation trial of intravenous MOR103 (0.3, 1.

A multi-biomarker score measures rheumatoid arthritis disease activity in the BeSt study.

Objective: To evaluate a multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA) score, a novel index based on 12 serum proteins, as a tool to guide management of RA patients.

Methods: A total of 125 patients with RA from the Behandel Strategieën study were studied. Clinical data and serum samples were available from 179 visits, 91 at baseline and 88 at year 1.

Application of the 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria in patients with very early inflammatory arthritis: analysis of sensitivity, specificity and predictive values in the SAVE study cohort.

Objective: Performance of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) criteria was analysed in an internationally recruited early arthritis cohort (≤16 weeks symptom duration) enrolled in the 'Stop-Arthritis-Very-Early' trial. This sample includes patients with a variety of diseases diagnosed during follow-up.

Methods: Two endpoints were defined: Investigators' diagnosis and disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment start during the 12-month follow-up.

The Stop Arthritis Very Early (SAVE) trial, an international multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on glucocorticoids in very early arthritis.

Background: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are often used as early arthritis treatment and it has been suggested that they induce remission or at least delay the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the need to start disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

Objective: To test the effect of GCs on patients with very early arthritis (symptom duration of <16 weeks) in a randomised controlled trial.

Methods: Patients received a single intramuscular injection of 120 mg methylprednisolone or placebo (PL) and were followed up for 52 weeks.

The prognostic value of baseline erosions in undifferentiated arthritis.

Introduction: Undifferentiated arthritis (UA) has a variable disease course; 40 to 50% of UA patients remit spontaneously, while 30% develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Identifying the UA patients who will develop RA is essential to initiate early disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy. Although the presence of bone erosions at baseline is predictive for a severe destructive disease course in RA, the prognostic importance of erosive joints for disease outcome in UA is unknown.

Enhanced concentrations of interleukin 16 are associated with joint destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To investigate the role of interleukin 16 (IL-16) in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and joint destruction.

Methods: We measured systemic IL-16 levels longitudinally in 39 patients with recent-onset RA, in 13 patients with initially undifferentiated arthritis who will develop RA over time, in 15 patients with undifferentiated arthritis, and in 12 healthy controls, and correlated the levels with joint damage and disease activity. Systemic IL-16 levels were measured by ELISA.